Velvet Underground “Article”

Posted on April 21st, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Black Leather, Whips, and Polka Dots                                                                                                                                                    August 24, 1967

Four lean characters dressed in black step on the low platform stage of the Miami Vice club.  They don’t speak as they set up.  Lead singer and guitar player Lou Reed is decked in high-heeled boots with a metallic edge; guitarist Sterling Morrison tunes up; John Cale unpacks his viola- an unorthodox instrument for an unorthodox group; the androgynous drummer, Maureen Tucker stands rather than sits at her kit.  Images project on the back wall, the lights are cut down low so only the glaze of their eyes are visible.  A man-size tongue in grainy video licks up the back wall as the blonde white-clad Nico steps up onto the platform, her mouth opens and the band opens into ‘Sunday Morning.’  This is the Velvet Underground, a band ‘found’ by the infamous Industrial Pop Artist Andy Warhol. 

                The group evokes scenes of a filthy New York hovel where smack addicts, homosexuals and masochists with pierced nipples all dressed in tight black leather and mesh come to swap fluids.  These themes and more from the underbelly of society are explored in the kind of detail only those who have experienced it would know.  The best example of this is the song ‘Heroin’; one feels the spike enter the vein, and feels the smack begin to flow; one knows the release and the calm of Reed’s voice as the guitar screams sheer noise in the background.  Noise is a characteristic of the Underground, sacrificing melody and nuance for absurdly loud, unrestrained noise with generous helpings of feedback.

                The band originated in 1965 as a relaxed, beatnik group.  However, after some experimentation with sound and vocals a truly original sound emerged that features the monotonous, though enunciated voice of Reed and the drone of Cale’s viola.  In 1966 Andy Warhol witnessed their unique ‘act’ in a small café, he became their manager and the Underground became a fixture in Warhol’s notorious Factory.  Although not really charting on the billboard and only leaving a minor ripple of sales for their debut album: ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ released March 12, 1967; the Underground is steadily gaining an audience and the effects of their sound we predict, will cause waves in the near future.               

-Reporting: Rachel Hutcheson

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What is it about music?

Posted on April 10th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: beatles, bob dylan, music.

mk, so 15 minutes ago we were in our Fsem Class, ‘rock soul prog’ and the question was posed, hypothetical of course, ‘What is it about music that binds people together, that makes it so universal…’ Some responses were, accessibility; if you’re in earshot of a radio, you can hear music.  The fact you don’t need to be formally educated to be a music fan; nor do you have to be very intelligent at all (not that formal education makes you more intelligent per say).  Music can tie you to something, or someone, or to an emotion that is not anything the song itself conveyed, but it plays in your brain.

Because music is very accessible, it can be talked about fairly easily with strangers, probably more easily than a brief analysis of Piranesi’s ‘the Drawbridge’ although if you are an art historian nerd then, yes, this would be a very in-depth highly bonding experience.

In addition, music takes you somewhere, it takes you to places you have been and places you would kill to be.  Like, jamming with the Beatles, or in a small coffee shop watching some scrawny dude in workman’s cords man-handle a guitar and harmonica.   Pink Floyd takes me to that mad mad world in which scary things happen in my mind that produce either great destruction or great genius (artistically).  Jimi Hendrix makes me want to just say fuck the man and burn my guitar/books/symbols of establishment and live on the road.  David Bowie makes me want to get all dolled up androgynously and find out what it is to be a human with righteous indignation.  The Velvet Underground make me want to never venture to the dark side, but to be at home in it.  And Abba makes me want to be a Dancing Queen, though I don’t know if that is feasible.

I could go on and on, those are just the one’s I can really think about at the moment.  But music is the equalizer of the masses, it is also an acute part of our memory/learning center of the brain; I think that has a lot to do with it.  Why people feel so strongly about certain songs over others, is partly from experiences that relate to the song, as well as the environment you grew up in.  I was raised in a mostly hard rocker (dad) and 80′s fabulous crap rock (mom).  They both compromised on the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, so there was a LOT of that.  Then my dad would play some Led Zeppelin and mom would play Journey, there will always be a special place in my soul for ‘Don’t stop believin’.

Anyway I think fundamenal taste is built on the first things you hear, so you relate all new music to what came before, subconsciously. Then again, I’ve come to like a lot of stuff I didn’t think I would recently, some forms of bluegrass are interesting so I dunno, just the degree of appreciation widens after the initial foundation is built.  You have to listen to all kinds of music to get the broadest and deepest appreciation; a lot of people don’t like modern art because it’s easy, or anyone can do it, that’s just a blank canvas, etc.  The look, but they don’t see what’s there, what that painting means really- it’s not a solid color because they were being lazy, it’s a solid color because from far away you can’t see the millions of dots and those millions of dots make up society in the way we are perceived by the social system!  Anyway, I digress.  Music is as music does, (stealing a line from forest gump: ‘Stupid is as stupid does’ b/c I can’t get it out of my head!)

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The Taters

Posted on April 6th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: music.

The Taters are an old-school rock group, locals especially in the Ashland/ Richmond area.  They’ve been together a decade or two and seem to be just getting better.  I, rather recently, (1 1/2 years ago) became a fan of their style, talent and charisma, after my boyfriend (a longtime fan) introduced me to their music.  The Taters are a bunch of geezers, at least 50 and their audience is about the same, pretty odd to be the only ones under 21 in such a venue.

The Taters play a broad repertoire that includes Bobby Darin, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison,  the Beatles as well as tons of originals that are absolutely wonderful.  The ‘band’ is really a mix bag of ‘guest players’ sometimes consisting of a fabulous guitar player, mandolin player, guest singers or even a steel pedal.

Really the show cannot be reviewed without a mention of their absolutely hilarious personalities.  Those guys are some of the funniest people in the state, devoid of self-consciousness, they will say whatever and make fun of each other the entire show, in a jovial manner of course.

If you have an opportunity to go to a show, check them out!! They’re shows are usually under 10 bucks and it’s well worth the money to see these highly talented, down to earth guys!!!!

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Glimpses by Lewis Shiner

Posted on March 26th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Ok, so did anyone else think that this was an enormous waste of time, life, and energy?  It was a romance novel, of Danielle Steel caliber, with music and time travel, multiple deaths and famous people.

What really got on my nerves was that the author assumed the role of these people, assumed how they would react (they as in Jim Morrison, Brian Wilson, and Jimi Hendrix) in those wacky situations.  ‘Hey i’m from the future’ ‘oh ok, want some hash?’ Ridiculous.  I don’t know what this book was supposed to teach us, that everything happens for a reason?  Go ahead and screw that chick on the beach it’s your vacation, you’ll end up happily ever after? In the book, the guy can ‘imagine’ the songs as he hears them and they play out on tape, mk…then he time travels and helps Brian Wilson complete Smile and Jim Morrison complete his unfinished Celebration of the Lizard and tries to get Hendrix’s master piece, Rays of the New Rising Sun, finished.

Throughout the author uses bits of terminology/ lines from the album or songs he’s ‘working’ on.  Like the constant references to the ‘lizard’ as a kind of demon force that makes  him lustful or drink, etc.  It was uneven in the book how he used these references, relying much more heavily on this ‘Lizard’ than on anything from Smile or  Rays of the New Rising Sun.  Then at the end the albums are summed up and Ray’s life is neat and clean, everybody is doing fine.  Wonderful, flaming awesome, except this book was lame, uneven, and vapid trying far too hard to be ‘deep’ and ‘compelling’ about daddy issues and unresolved conflicts between parents and their children.  His dad’s an asshole, ok, but the book never really makes him real.  There are connections between the 60′s and the 80′s but that they aren’t explored, more space is given to meaningless asides or his romantic flings.  He has a real marital problem, but she wasn’t his ‘true love’ anyway; what the hell did they see in eachother anyway?

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Cosmic Dancer

Posted on March 20th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: Uncategorized.

I much prefer this song to Bang a Gong, in fact this is now one of my favorite songs.  It is extremely revealing about the artist, very personal and beautiful it it’s strange and slightly creepy wayPlease enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.

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Get it On (Bang a Gong)

Posted on March 20th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: Uncategorized.

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Rock=nerd love

Posted on March 19th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Rock music is a way for nerds to get chicks.  Oh, and make good music.  But mostly to make good music about nerdy things and make nerdy things way cool so that no matter how homely you are, you’ll get tons of chicks.  The best EVER example of this is the Cars front man Rik Ocasek and his marriage to supermodel Paulina Porizkova…just google the Cars or Rik Ocasek and you’ll see what I mean.

A few other nerdy Gods include Led Zeppelin: complete Tolkien nerds.  Evidence in ‘Ramble On’,  ‘the Battle of Evermore,’ ‘Immigrant Song’ etc.  T. Rex/ Marc Bolan is another Tolkien fan.  Rush is a super nerd group that also has the homely prize.  The Ramones, wow, very awesome but very very homely.   Then again who made glasses cool?  That’s right Buddy Holly, the original nerd rocker.  We have that great example of Pete Townshend of the Who creating a rock group so that his trowel-like nose would be plastered everywhere in retaliation to the childhood teasing he had received.

I’ve probably skipped a ton of nerdy rockers, but these are the best examples I can come up with off the top of my head.  I just love nerdy rock and nerdy rockers!

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Emotion and Performance Art

Posted on March 13th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: music.

Wow, I am soo out of practice at this point with the blogging…

Anyway, I wanted to expound on my ‘question’/ comment today in class where it may have seemed like I was just being a snotty ass to ask, ‘is soul ‘fake’ persay? Is the emotion real, every time?

Well I really just wanted to look at the performance aspect of music. In rock music, in soul and blues etc. the key aspect to true undying love for a group/ person is a live performance of music. Not only do these musicians have to be musically inclined, but they must be actors as well.

Take the ‘hardest working man in show business’ the legend, James Brown, for instance. Every concert, every night of that concert he falls back, falls all over the place in ecstasy of the music, or ecstasy of the showman. Do you think every single time Otis Redding begged for respect, or love, that he felt it? Or was it that he was a great actor? Or perhaps a bit of both.

I believe David Bowie has the best grasp of the situation of a musician/ showman. Above all else, Bowie considers himself an actor. He built his career on a non-existent character he created; killed that character off and has numerous other ‘guises’, masks he wears. His music is vast in theme, but each album is built around a concept Bowie is trying to get across. In essence, he becomes the theme, he becomes the rock’n'roll suicide, Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane, he is a Rebel, a Kook, the Queen Bitch. Thus, Bowie doesn’t let the music business control his style, nor does he let the public in, you never really know Bowie because he’s performing the entire time on stage.

So really, is the ‘Soul’ emotion real? How credible is the emotion you feel if the musician does not really feel it? They simply inflect/ stress their voice like they have trained themselves. Then again the reality of everything may be doubted, a visual example of the concept I’m questioning is Marcel Duchamp’s ‘This is Not a Pipe’ an image of a pipe that is clearly a pipe, but it’s not really.

2 comments.

Secular vs. Religious Art

Posted on February 27th, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: music, secular;art.

This is not so much about secular VERSUS Religious Art, but the blurring of the two in visual art and music. Gospel music is defined as religious, it deals specifically with themes of God, the praise and worship of. It is characterized by strong, emotional vocals, as well as interaction with the audience.

Soul music uses the vocal stylings of Gospel; but focuses on secular subjects; sinful things like women, gambling etc. In Gospel music there is an undeniably perverse sexuality within the music. That sexual undertone is evident in Sam Cooke’s ‘Hem of His Garment.’ Cooke sings it with his characteristic crooner voice, it is full of emotion but tight with constraint. It is very smooth with soul melisma lilting key notes; a kind of teasing by Cooke on the audience. Yet, the lyrics of the song are quite interesting, a woman is determined to touch the hem of Christ’s garment, to heal her sickness- her sickness, however, seems more to be her obsession with touching Christ’s cloak.

Gospel’s affect on it’s listeners is really what sets it apart from other musical styles. It requires full and undivided attention and participation; whole-hearted belief that comes into fruition with fainting and visions, collapsing with the holy spirit. Soul music, evinces the exact same reaction, however, the passion and beauty is directed at something far too earthly to be good. It is directed at sin; at women, the bottle, it leads you AWAY from God and all his Glory. When Sam Cooke ‘crossed over’ he symbolically traded in his halo for a pair of devil horns; his voice that used to be that of the angels is now the demonic come-hithers of Satan.

The sexuality that is in Soul music was alway present, it was under the guise of ‘God’ of worship, and praise. Really all that passion, the desire was always hidden deep underneath the lyrics professing the greatness of God. As visual evidence of the relationship between secular sexuality and religion, Dr. C showed us the image of Bernini’s ‘Ecstasy of St. Theresa. Quite literally St. Theresa is in a moment of sexual ecstasy. The moment is supposedly depicting a ‘transfiguring coma’ the sleep of God where a glimpse of glory is received. It is probably not accidental however, that the arrow of the angel is directed toward the genitalia of St. Theresa- or that pleasure and pain are depicted upon her face.

In art, paintings and sculpture that is, the blurring of Religion and the secular was quite common by the time Bernini (Baroque Period 17th Century) sculpted. In the Christian tradition, the Virgin Mary has been one of the most secularized figures, as well as sexualized. As early as the Gothic Period Mary began appearing as an earthly queen- rather than the humble virgin. She is depicted wearing golden Crowns, expensive fabrics, resting upon a great golden throne with the Christ child an after-thought upon her knee. For example: Giotto’s ‘Virgin and Child Enthroned’ 1310. Though there are angels surrounding her, there is still a quite earthly throne surrounding her, complete with new innovations in the realm of perspective and depth.

Evidence for secular and religious blurring abounds as the Renaissance blooms out of Florence, the desire is to make religion relateable and identifiable to the common man; to reiterate God’s influence on your life; that what you have is due to His good will and you owe Him, or the Church that is… I digress, as a way to modernize the Virgin Mary artists depicted her in contemporary clothes with contemporary ideals of beauty; correspondingly the background of the works is a scene familiar to the viewer, of modern dress and actions and environment; for example, Fra Filippo Lippi’s ‘Virgin and Child’ 1452. Often, the patron of the painting appears, as if they too, had witnessed the birth of Christ!

3 comments.

All Right ENOUGH already about Nik Cohn!

Posted on February 21st, 2008 by rachellh7.
Categories: music.

After we had discussed Cohn last week, and what his definition of good pop music was etc.  I understand his point of view.  Doesn’t mean I like it, nor that I think any better of him for it.  The whole ‘Spectorsound’ phenomena is absolutely fascinating.  Spectorsound is epic, it big, HUGE and it’s got everything and the kitchen sink- the Ronnettes, Tina Turner, the sheer NOISE of it all is epic.  That’s the only word to describe it, epic.  Once that key drumline starts… and then ‘be my, be my baby…’ it’s over, you’re in love- not real love of course.  It’s youthful moon-calf adoration.  I adore this song, the way I think kittens are cute; not in the way that makes me think about my life, or want to do anything with my life.

So, yes, I understand where Cohn is coming from, this music is about youth;is all about cars, women/ men, hanging out; and after that is just mortgage, taxes, kids, and a nagging spouse, the realization you have become old and a failure to all of your youthful dreams. Cohn is kissing his moon-calf, starry eyed first love away; he has to move on, but will always look back on the times he spent with her with fondness.

I don’t think you have to say good bye to the songs of your youth, just put them on your ipod and don’t let anyone hear you when you belt it out in the car.  That’s what I do.

(especially to Bonnie Tyler and Meatloaf’s rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart, I’ll Stand by You by the Pretenders, or how about I need a Hero?

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